Hearts pay their players November wages BUT Romanov’s crony hits out

The first team players had been waiting for their November wage since the 16th of the month, but only received around £1,000 as part payment earlier this month.

Despite the payment, the 27 players that make up Hearts first team squad have agreed to lodge an official complaint with the Scottish Premier League, through PFA Scotland.

According to reports, despite the November wage being paid, the players will still go ahead with their protest with their December wage due tomorrow.

Once the SPL receive a complaint, they have the power to transfer commercial revenues that were meant for Hearts, directly to the players instead. This would be the first process, which could end with the squad terminating their contracts with the club with FIFA stepping in to rule.

Hearts meanwhile, have issued a statement following on from reports that the November wage had been paid. They have asked their supporters to ‘remain resolute and not to be swayed by the more sensationalist parties using the club’s current challenges to promote themselves’.

Speaking to the official Hearts website, director Sergejus Fedotovas said: “All this hysteria around Hearts is a very profitable business for the media and even some solicitors have taken the chance to grab the limelight alongside more controversial ‘experts’. You will hardly find a better chance for publicity these days, apart from the national independence topic but most people prefer to keep their opinion away from the public and enjoy less dangerous statements.

“You may have noticed that no one really cares to suggest how to improve or help the situation, but would rather speak about how bad it is. Apart from opportunistic suggestions to remove Romanov, they provide no solutions as to how to get funding for the club in a deteriorating economic environment.

“I am not surprised that most “experts” are looking for chances to profit from this situation by pretending they care about Hearts but in reality are disregarding the future of the club, making the club a victim of their personal crusade against a Russian businessman and creating an environment that lets them line their own pockets.

“Mr Romanov has been at Hearts for quite a while and apart from help to sell Scottish papers, he has invested around £70m in the club, kept the club at Tynecastle and prolonged its history for at least 7 years.

“Now he is leaving and without his help it will be much more difficult to make ends meet, or target the top of the league. People who are wrongly happy about it can pass on their thanks to the likes of Gary Mackay, George Foulkes, Anderton, Rix, Burley and others that used the club for their personal agendas, pretending to be supporters of the club but in fact seeking supporters for themselves. And a special thanks to Mr Murdoch and his exemplary journalism methods that have been adopted in various forms by many football writers in Scotland.

He continued: “Mr Romanov left Lithuanian football two years ago and it has turned into a ‘Mickey Mouse’ competition ever since. To lose money is much easier than to find an investor these days and it inevitably bears an impact.

“A very big part of Europe is in trouble now. Very many clubs do not pay their players’ salaries for months. It is not an excuse; it is a consequence of economic reality. We are living in countries that cut employment, pensions, increase retirement age and taxes. Businesses are abandoned, businessmen reconsider their strategies. If we want to survive we need to adapt to a new environment and unfortunately with an element of shock. The transition to a safer situation is painful, but is inevitable.

Despite the reports that the players will complain to the SPL, Fedotovas was adamant: “I can assure the fans that we have the plan to normalise the business at the club and we also know the rules and regulations – no player walkout will happen. This is pure sensationalist stories to grab your attention.

“No senior players that have value to this club will leave the club for free. The rest is a different story. We have already done some business that allowed us to pay wages and tax this month and will allow us to minimise the risk of delays in the future. We now need to implement the plan we have and prepare for the next season.

“I need to say that a lot of people at the club are working very hard to keep our promise to supporters, partners and employees of the club and it is purely because of such efforts we were able to pay the players today. All the pressure, bullying and threats did not help and will not help in the future, just the professionalism of the staff and players that give their 100% on the pitch.

“We are appreciative of the players who made the overall wellbeing of the club a priority ahead of their own personal situations in what has been a pressurised period for everyone involved. In fact this is the cleverest strategy to achieve a positive change of their careers – they are true professionals – it will not pass unnoticed and they have a great future.

“Credit is also due to those who refused to have their heads turned by outside influencers pretending they care about the players and the club and those who have little understanding of the economic reality of running a football business in the current climate.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank all the people – supporters, partners, players, employees – who truly supported and continue to support the club during this period. This is a great example of true professionalism, citizenship and morale.”

About Author

Andy Muirhead is the Editor of Scotzine and the Scottish Football fanzine FITBA. He is the Scottish Football columnist for The Morning Star and has written for a number of other publications including ESPN, Huffington Post UK, BT Life's a Pitch and has had his work featured in the Daily Record, The Scotsman and the Daily Mail.